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SEC. 846. SUPPORT FOR DEFENSE MANUFACTURING COMMUNITIES TO
SUPPORT THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE.
(a) Program Authorized.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may, in coordination
with the Secretary of Commerce and working in coordination with
the defense manufacturing institutes, establish within the
Department of Defense a program to make long-term investments in
critical skills, facilities, research and development, and small
business support in order to strengthen the national security
innovation base by designating and supporting consortiums as
defense manufacturing communities.
(2) DESIGNATION.—The program authorized by this section shall be
known as the “Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program”
(in this section referred to as the “Program”).
(b) Designation Of Defense Manufacturing Communities
Complementary To Defense Manufacturing Institutes.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may designate eligible
consortiums as defense manufacturing communities through a
competitive process, and in coordination with the defense
manufacturing institutes.
(2) ELIGIBLE CONSORTIUMS.—The Secretary may establish
eligibility criteria for a consortium to participate in the
Program. In developing such criteria, the Secretary may consider
the merits of—
(A) including members from academia, defense industry,
commercial industry, and State and local government
organizations;
(B) supporting efforts in geographical regions that have
capabilities in key technologies or industrial base supply
chains that are determined critical to national security;
(C) optimal consortium composition and size to promote
effectiveness, collaboration, and efficiency; and
(D) complementarity with defense manufacturing institutes.
(3) DURATION.—Each designation under paragraph (1) shall be for
a period of five years.
(4) RENEWAL.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may renew a designation made under
paragraph (1) for up to two additional two-year periods. Any
designation as a defense manufacturing community or renewal of
such designation that is in effect before the date of the
enactment of this Act shall count toward the limit set forth in
this subparagraph.
(B) EVALUATION FOR RENEWAL.—The Secretary shall establish
criteria for the renewal of a consortium. In establishing such
criteria, the Secretary may consider—
(i) the performance of the consortium in meeting the established
goals of the Program;
(ii) the progress the consortium has made with respect to
project-specific metrics, particularly with respect to those
metrics that were designed to help communities track their own
progress;
(iii) whether any changes to the composition of the eligible
consortium or revisions of the plan for the consortium would
improve the capabilities of the defense industrial base;
(iv) the effectiveness of coordination with defense
manufacturing institutes; and
(v) such other criteria as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(5) APPLICATION FOR DESIGNATION.—An eligible consortium seeking
a designation under paragraph (1) shall submit an application to
the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary
may require. In developing such procedures, the Secretary may
consider the inclusion of—
(A) a description of the regional boundaries of the consortium,
and the defense manufacturing capacity of the region;
(B) an evidence-based plan for enhancing the defense industrial
base through the efforts of the consortium;
(C) the investments the consortium proposes and the strategy of
the consortium to address gaps in the defense industrial base;
(D) a description of the outcome-based metrics, benchmarks, and
milestones that will track and the evaluation methods that will
be used to gauge performance of the consortium;
(E) how the initiatives will complement defense manufacturing
institutes; and
(F) such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(c) Financial And Technical Assistance.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Under the Program, the Secretary of Defense may
award financial or technical assistance to a member of a
consortium designated as a defense manufacturing community under
the Program as appropriate for purposes of the Program.
(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of financial or technical
assistance under the Program may use such financial or technical
assistance to support an investment that will improve the
defense industrial base.
(3) INVESTMENTS SUPPORTED.—Investments supported under this
subsection may include activities not already provided for by
defense manufacturing institutes on—
(A) equipment or facility upgrades;
(B) workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and
retention, including that of women and underrepresented
minorities;
(C) business incubators;
(D) advanced research and commercialization, including with
Federal laboratories and depots;
(E) supply chain development; and
(F) small business assistance.
(d) Receipt Of Transferred Funds.—The Secretary of Defense may
accept amounts transferred to the Secretary from the head of
another agency or a State or local governmental organization to
carry out this section. |
Support for defense manufacturing
communities to support the defense industrial base (sec. 846)
The Senate amendment contained a
provision (sec. 863) that would provide the Secretary of Defense
with authority to establish a program to make long-term
investments in critical skills, infrastructure, research and
development, and small business support in order to strengthen
the national security innovation base, working in coordination
with the defense manufacturing institutes.
The House bill contained no similar
provision.
The House recedes with an amendment that
harmonizes the activities of the program with other similar
programs to avoid duplication. |
